JP7769701B2 - Frequency and condition dependent user equipment beam patterns - Google Patents

Description

Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax), and fifth-generation (5G) service (e.g., 5G New Radio (NR)). Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include Cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Access (GSM) variants of TDMA, etc.

It is often desirable to know the location of a user equipment (UE), e.g., a cellular phone, and the terms "location" and "position" are synonymous and are used interchangeably herein. A location services client (LSC) may desire to know the location of a UE and may communicate with a location center to request the location of the UE. The location center and the UE may exchange messages accordingly to obtain a location estimate for the UE. The location center may, for example, return the location estimate to the LSC for use in one or more applications.

Obtaining the location of a mobile device accessing a wireless network may be useful for many applications, including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, locating friends or family members, and the like. Existing positioning methods include methods based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices, including satellite vehicles and terrestrial radio sources in the wireless network, such as base stations and access points. Stations in the wireless network may be configured to transmit reference signals to enable the mobile device to perform positioning measurements. Antenna arrays in mobile devices used in high-frequency wireless networks may be required to cover a wide bandwidth in combination with various system conditions. Fixed element spacing in the antenna array on the mobile device may reduce the array gain in portions of the bandwidth, degrading the accuracy of the reference signal and corresponding positioning measurements. Furthermore, a mobile device may be configured for different conditions, such as when disposed in a cradle, held by a user, held at the ear, or attached to a peripheral device. The various conditions of the mobile device may also reduce the gain of signals transmitted or received by the mobile device.

An exemplary method for determining a location of a mobile device according to the present disclosure includes transmitting array gain information to a network entity, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on subbands and a state of the mobile device; receiving one or more reference signals in one or more subbands, the receive beam for each of the one or more reference signals being based at least in part on the subbands in which the one or more reference signals are being received and a current state of the mobile device; determining measurements based on the one or more reference signals; and determining a location of the mobile device based at least in part on the measurements.

Implementations of such a method may include one or more of the following features: Determining the location of the mobile device may include using the mobile device to provide, to a network entity, measurements based on one or more reference signals, including receive beam identification information associated with each respective receive beam used to receive the one or more reference signals. The state of the mobile device may be based at least in part on a peripheral device operably coupled to the mobile device. The peripheral device may be at least one of headphones, a power cord, a card reader, or a mobile device cover. The state of the mobile device may be based at least in part on a user's proximity to the mobile device. The subband may be based on an active bandwidth portion utilized by the mobile device. The subband may be based on a resource bandwidth. The array gain information may include beam pattern information based on multiple antenna elements from multiple antenna modules. The beam pattern information may include gain and direction information of at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe. The measurements may include one or more of the following: Angle of Arrival (AoA), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Round Trip signal propagation Time (RTT), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ).

An exemplary method for measuring uplink reference signals according to the present disclosure includes receiving array gain information from a mobile device, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on subbands and conditions of the mobile device; providing an indication of one or more uplink reference signals to be transmitted by the mobile device based at least in part on the array gain information; and measuring the uplink reference signals transmitted by the mobile device in the subbands.

Implementations of such a method may include one or more of the following features: Measurements for an uplink reference signal may be provided to a network entity. The state of the mobile device may be based at least in part on a peripheral device operably coupled to the mobile device. The peripheral device may be at least one of headphones, a power cord, a card reader, or a mobile device cover. The state of the mobile device may be based at least in part on the proximity of the mobile device to a user. The subband may be based on an active bandwidth portion utilized by the mobile device. The subband may be based on a resource bandwidth. The array gain information may include beam pattern information based on multiple antenna modules. The beam pattern information may include gain and direction information of at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe. Measuring the uplink reference signal may include obtaining one or more of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a reference signal received power (RSRP), and a reference signal received quality (RSRQ).

An exemplary apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit array gain information to a network entity using the at least one transceiver, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on a subband and a state of the apparatus; receive one or more reference signals in one or more subbands using the at least one transceiver, the receive beam for each of the one or more reference signals based at least in part on a subband in which the one or more reference signals are being received and a current state of the apparatus; determine measurements based on the one or more reference signals; and determine a location based at least in part on the measurements.

Implementations of such a device may include one or more of the following features: The at least one processor may be further configured to provide measurements based on the one or more reference signals to a network entity, the measurements including receive beam identification information associated with each respective receive beam used to receive the one or more reference signals. The state of the device may be based at least in part on a peripheral device operably coupled to the device. The peripheral device may be at least one of headphones, a power cord, a card reader, or a mobile device cover. The state of the device may be based at least in part on a user's proximity to the device. The subbands may be based on an active bandwidth portion utilized by the device. The subbands may be based on a resource bandwidth. The array gain information may include beam pattern information based on multiple antenna elements from multiple antenna modules. The beam pattern information may include gain and direction information of at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe. The measurements may include one or more of the following: angle of arrival (AoA), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), round trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), and reference signal received quality (RSRQ).

An exemplary apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, from a mobile device using the at least one transceiver, array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on subbands and conditions of the mobile device, provide an indication of one or more uplink reference signals to be transmitted by the mobile device based at least in part on the array gain information, and measure the uplink reference signals transmitted by the mobile device within the subbands.

Implementations of such an apparatus may include one or more of the following features. The at least one processor may be further configured to provide measurements on the uplink reference signal to a network entity. The state of the mobile device may be based at least in part on a peripheral device operably coupled to the mobile device. The peripheral device may be at least one of headphones, a power cord, a card reader, or a mobile device cover. The mobile device may be based at least in part on the proximity of the mobile device to the user. The subband may be based on an active bandwidth portion utilized by the mobile device. The subband may be based on a resource bandwidth. The array gain information may include beam pattern information based on multiple antenna modules. The beam pattern information may include gain and direction information of at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe. Measuring the uplink reference signal may include obtaining one or more of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a reference signal received power (RSRP), and a reference signal received quality (RSRQ).

An exemplary apparatus for determining a location of a mobile device according to the present disclosure includes means for transmitting array gain information to a network entity, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on a subband and a state of the mobile device; means for receiving one or more reference signals in one or more subbands, the receive beam for each of the one or more reference signals being based at least in part on a subband in which the one or more reference signals are being received and a current state of the mobile device; means for determining measurements based on the one or more reference signals; and means for determining a location of the mobile device based at least in part on the measurements.

An exemplary apparatus for measuring uplink reference signals according to the present disclosure includes means for receiving array gain information from a mobile device, the array gain information including beam pattern information, based at least in part on a subband and a state of the mobile device; means for providing an indication of one or more uplink reference signals to be transmitted by the mobile device based at least in part on the array gain information; and means for measuring the uplink reference signals transmitted by the mobile device in the subband.

An exemplary non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to the present disclosure having processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to determine a location of a mobile device includes: code for transmitting array gain information to a network entity, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on a subband and a state of the mobile device; code for receiving one or more reference signals in one or more subbands, the receive beam for each of the one or more reference signals being based at least in part on a subband in which the one or more reference signals are being received and a current state of the mobile device; code for determining measurements based on the one or more reference signals; and code for determining a location of the mobile device based at least in part on the measurements.

An exemplary non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to measure uplink reference signals according to the present disclosure includes code for receiving array gain information from a mobile device, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on a subband and a state of the mobile device; code for providing an indication of one or more uplink reference signals to be transmitted by the mobile device based at least in part on the array gain information; and code for measuring the uplink reference signals transmitted by the mobile device in the subband.

The items and/or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. A mobile device may utilize one or more antenna modules, each having an antenna array with fixed element spacing. Fixed element spacing may cause beam squinting for some frequencies within a wide bandwidth. Transmit and receive beam patterns may also be affected by the state of the mobile device. Beam patterns for a mobile device may be characterized based on frequency and the state of the mobile device. Frequency- and state-based antenna gain and beam pattern information may be provided to network resources. A mobile device may be configured to measure a downlink reference signal based on frequency- and state-dependent antenna gain and beam pattern information. A mobile device may be configured to provide an uplink reference signal based on the antenna gain and beam pattern information. The antenna gain and beam pattern information may be used to improve reference signal-based location estimation for a mobile device. Other capabilities may be provided, and not all implementations according to the present disclosure must provide any, let alone all, of the described capabilities.

1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of the exemplary user equipment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of an exemplary transmit/receive point shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of the exemplary server shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates an example downlink positioning reference signal resource set. FIG. 1 illustrates an example downlink positioning reference signal resource set. FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example subframe format for positioning reference signal transmission. FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary positioning frequency layer. FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary active bandwidth portion having multiple bandwidth resources. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary user equipment having multiple antenna modules. 9B is a diagram of an example beam pattern based on the antenna module in the user equipment of FIG. 9A. 1 is a diagrammatic example of beam squinting related to antenna codebook design. 1 is a diagrammatic example of beam squinting related to antenna codebook design. FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary frequency dependent beam pattern. FIG. 10 is a diagram of an exemplary user equipment state dependent beam pattern. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary data structure for a frequency and state-based beam pattern. FIG. 10 illustrates an example message flow for providing frequency and state dependent beam patterns for downlink based positioning. FIG. 10 illustrates an example message flow for providing frequency and state dependent beam patterns for uplink-based positioning. FIG. 1 illustrates a process flow for an exemplary method for measuring one or more reference signals based on a frequency and state dependent beam pattern. FIG. 1 illustrates a process flow for providing an uplink reference signal based on a frequency and state dependent beam pattern. FIG. 1 illustrates a process flow for an exemplary method for determining an uplink reference signal based at least in part on a frequency and state dependent beam pattern.

Techniques for enabling user equipment (UE) positioning based on UE-side angle estimation in (and beyond) the millimeter wave (mmW) band are described herein. For example, the techniques include determining and providing beam pattern assistance data according to frequency and UE state. In a UE-based downlink angle of arrival (AoA) example, assistance data including beam shape information associated with different subbands and/or UE states may be stored on the UE, and the UE may be configured to determine its location based in part on reference signals received in the current subband and state and the corresponding beam shape information. In a UE-assisted AoA example, assistance data including UE-specific beam shape information associated with different subbands and/or UE states may be provided to a network resource, such as a base station or network server, and the UE may report the AoA of a measured reference beam in the subband to the network resource to determine the UE's location. In an uplink angle of departure (AoD) approach, the UE may provide array gain information including beam pattern information based on frequency and UE state. The UE may transmit an uplink reference signal including beam identification information. The network may be configured to determine the location of the UE based on the uplink reference signal and beam pattern information.

In operation, mmW applications may require ultra-wideband coverage using antenna arrays with fixed element spacing. For example, the ratio of element spacing in an antenna array may vary from approximately half the wavelength corresponding to the carrier frequency to approximately one wavelength of that carrier frequency. In general, the antenna array gain distribution as a function of spatial angle (e.g., beam pattern/shape) generally drifts with frequency due to the beam squinting effect associated with fixed inter-element spacing for ultra-wideband coverage. A positioning technique using a fixed set of beam weights at some carrier frequency may generally correspond to several AoD and AoA estimates at that frequency. However, the same beam weights may correspond to different AoD and AoA estimates at different frequencies within the ultra-wideband coverage. Furthermore, the state of the UE may affect the array gain and corresponding beam weights. For example, a proximity sensor may limit the output of the antenna array based on the relative location of the user's hands or head. Other peripheral devices, such as headphones, credit card readers, device covers, and power cords, may affect the beam pattern/shape. Therefore, UE positioning based on AoD and AoA estimates may be based on different frequency/subband/resource block (RB) subsets and beam shapes associated with the UE's current state.

In one embodiment, the UE may provide assistance data indicating the frequency, state, and corresponding beam shape used by the UE. Different bandwidth portions (BWPs) may have different beam shapes for different UE states. Different receive beams for DL-PRS positioning may have different beam shapes, and frequency- and state-dependent beam shapes may be used for positioning based on AoA and AoD techniques. In another embodiment, a base station or other network resource may determine the UE's location based on UL signals transmitted by the UE and received by one or more base stations, utilizing UE-specific frequency- and state-dependent beam shapes for AoD-based positioning techniques. Different beam shapes may be used for azimuth and/or altitude.

Referring to FIG. 1, an example of a communication system 100 includes a UE 105, a radio access network (RAN) 135, here a fifth-generation (5G) next-generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN), and a 5G core network (5GC) 140. The UE 105 may be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, or other device. The 5G network may also be referred to as a New Radio (NR) network, the NG-RAN 135 may also be referred to as a 5G RAN or an NR RAN, and the 5GC 140 may also be referred to as an NG Core Network (NGC). Standardization of the NG-RAN and 5GC is underway in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). Thus, the NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may conform to current or future standards for 5G support from the 3GPP®. The RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, for example, a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. The communication system 100 may utilize information from a constellation 185 of satellite vehicles (SVs) 190, 191, 192, 193 for a satellite positioning system (SPS) (e.g., a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or Beidou, or some other local or regional SPS, such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

As shown in FIG. 1, the NG-RAN 135 includes 5G-NR Node Bs (gNBs) 110a, 110b, and a next-generation eNode B (ng-eNB) 114, and the 5G-CDMA 140 includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, a Session Management Function (SMF) 117, a Location Management Function (LMF) 120, and a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and the ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other and each configured to wirelessly communicate bidirectionally with the UE 105, and each communicatively coupled to and configured to communicate bidirectionally with the AMF 115. The AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. The SMF 117 may serve as the initial point of contact for a Service Control Function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions.

FIG. 1 provides a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated or omitted as desired. In particular, while one UE 105 is illustrated, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be utilized in the communications system 100. Similarly, the communications system 100 may include a greater (or lesser) number of SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs 190-193 illustrated), gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external client 130, and/or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the communications system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and/or wireless connections, and/or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and/or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a 5G-based network, similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Implementations described herein (whether for 5G technology and/or one or more other communication technologies and/or protocols) may be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure the directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and/or provide location assistance to the UE 105 (via GMLC 125 or other location server), and/or calculate a location for the UE 105 at a location-enabled device, such as the UE 105, gNB 110a, 110b, or LMF 120, based on measurement quantities received at the UE 105 for such directionally transmitted signals. The Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114, and gNBs (gNodeBs) 110a, 110b are examples, and in various embodiments, each may be replaced by or include various other location server functionality and/or base station functionality.

UE 105 may comprise and/or be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Location (SUPL)-enabled terminal (SET), or by some other name. Additionally, UE 105 may correspond to a cell phone, smartphone, laptop, tablet, PDA, tracking device, navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, asset tracker, health monitor, security system, smart city sensor, smart meter, wearable tracker, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, but not necessarily, the UE 105 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also referred to as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. The UE 105 may support wireless communications using, for example, a wireless local area network (WLAN), which may connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using a digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. Using one or more of these RATs, the UE 105 may be able to communicate with the external client 130 (e.g., via elements of the 5GC 140, not shown in FIG. 1, or possibly via the GMLC 125), and/or the external client 130 may be able to receive location information regarding the UE 105 (e.g., via the GMLC 125).

UE105 may comprise a single entity or may comprise multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where a user may employ audio, video, and/or data I/O (input/output) devices and/or body sensors, as well as a separate wireline or wireless modem. An estimate of the location of UE105 may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geographic and thus provide location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) for UE105, which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, ground level, floor level, or height above or below basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE105 may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., as a postal address or designation of several points or small areas within a building, such as a particular room or floor). The location of the UE 105 may be expressed as an area or volume (defined either geographically or in urban terms) within which the UE 105 is expected to be located with some probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 may be expressed as a relative location, e.g., comprising a distance and a direction from a known location. The relative location may be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to some origin in the known location, which may be defined, e.g., geographically, in urban terms, or by reference to a point, area, or volume shown on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, use of the term location may comprise any of these variants unless otherwise specified. When calculating the location of a UE, it is common to determine local x-, y-, and possibly z-coordinate values and then convert the local coordinates to absolute coordinates (e.g., to latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level) if desired.

The UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. The UE 105 may be configured to indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. The D2D P2P links may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, etc. One or more of a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area of a transmission/reception point (TRP), such as one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or ng-eNB 114. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may not otherwise be able to receive transmissions from the base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without the involvement of the TRP.

The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown in FIG. 1 include NR Node Bs referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b. The pair of gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135 may be connected to each other via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network may be provided to the UE 105 via wireless communication between the UE 105 and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, thereby providing wireless communication on behalf of the UE 105 using 5G to the 5G Grid Control 140. In FIG. 1, the serving gNB for the UE 105 is assumed to be gNB 110a, although another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may act as the serving gNB if the UE 105 moves to another location or as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to the UE 105.

The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown in FIG. 1 may include the ng-eNB 114, also referred to as a next-generation evolved node B. The ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135, possibly via one or more other gNBs and/or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE wireless access and/or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or ng-eNB 114 may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons, which may transmit signals to assist in determining the location of the UE 105 but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or other UEs.

BSs 110a, 110b, and 114 may each include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within the BS's cell may include a TRP, but the multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., they may share a processor but have separate antennas). System 100 may include a macro TRP, or system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro TRPs, pico TRPs, and/or femto TRPs. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a picocell) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A femto TRP or home TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femtocell) and may allow restricted access by terminals associated with the femtocell (e.g., terminals for users in their homes).

As noted, while FIG. 1 illustrates nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol, nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols, such as, for example, the LTE protocol or the IEEE 802.11x protocol, may be used. For example, in an Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to the UE 105, the RAN may comprise an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations with evolved Node Bs (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may comprise an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may comprise the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where in FIG. 1, the E-UTRAN corresponds to the NG-RAN 135 and the EPC corresponds to the 5G Node B 140.

The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may communicate with the AMF 115, which in turn communicates with the LMF 120 for positioning functionality. The AMF 115 may support the mobility of the UE 105, including cell changes and handovers, and may be responsible for supporting signaling connections to the UE 105 and, in some cases, data and voice bearers for the UE 105. The LMF 120 may communicate directly with the UE 105, for example, through wireless communication. The LMF 120 may support positioning of the UE 105 when the UE 105 accesses the NG-RAN 135 and may support position procedures/methods such as Aided GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Real Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Angle of Departure (AOD), and/or other position methods. The LMF 120 may process location service requests for the UE 105 received, for example, from the AMF 115 or from the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be connected to the AMF 115 and/or to the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be referred to by other names, such as a location manager (LM), location function (LF), commercial LMF (CLMF), or value added LMF (VLMF). A node/system implementing the LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functionality (including derivation of the location of the UE 105) may be performed in the UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by the UE 105 for signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or the ng-eNB 114, and/or assistance data provided to the UE 105 by the LMF 120, for example).

GMLC 125 may support location requests for UE 105 received from external client 130 and may forward such location requests to AMF 115 for forwarding by AMF 115 to LMF 120, or may forward the location requests directly to LMF 120. A location response (e.g., including a location estimate for UE 105) from LMF 120 may be returned to GMLC 125 either directly or via AMF 115, which may then return the location response (e.g., including the location estimate) to external client 130. While GMLC 125 is shown connected to both AMF 115 and LMF 120, one of these connections may be supported by 5GC 140 in some implementations.

As further shown in FIG. 1, the LMF 120 may communicate with the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or the ng-eNB 114 using the New Radio Positioning Protocol A (NPPa or NRPPa), which may be specified in 3GPP® Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa), which may be specified in 3GPP® TS 36.455, and NRPPa messages are transferred between the gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and the LMF 120 and/or between the ng-eNB 114 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115. As further shown in FIG. 1, the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be specified in 3GPP® TS 36.355. The LMF 120 and the UE 105 may also communicate using the New Radio Positioning Protocol (sometimes referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LPP. Here, LPP and/or NPP messages may be transferred between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, 110b, or the serving ng-eNB 114 for the UE 105. For example, LPP and/or NPP messages may be transferred between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using a 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP) and between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using a 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and/or NPP protocols may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and/or UE-based location methods, such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and/or E-CID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using network-based location methods such as E-CID (e.g., when used in conjunction with measurements obtained by the gNBs 110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114), and/or may be used by the LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or ng-eNB 114, such as parameters that govern directional SS transmissions from the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or ng-eNB 114.

Using the UE-assisted location method, the UE 105 may obtain location measurements and send the measurements to a location server (e.g., the LMF 120) for calculation of a location estimate for the UE 105. For example, the location measurements may include one or more of the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), and/or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) for the gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and/or WLAN APs. The location measurements may also include measurements of GNSS pseudorange, code phase, and/or carrier phase for SVs 190-193.

Using a UE-based location method, the UE 105 may obtain location measurements (which may, for example, be the same as or similar to location measurements for a UE-assisted location method) and may calculate the location of the UE 105 (e.g., with the aid of assistance data received from a location server such as the LMF 120 or broadcast by the gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, or other base stations or APs).

Using a network-based location method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or ng-eNB 114) or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements for signals transmitted by UE 105) and/or may receive measurements obtained by UE 105. The one or more base stations or APs may send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculation of a location estimate for UE 105.

The information provided to the LMF 120 by the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or ng-eNB 114 using the NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS transmissions, as well as location coordinates. The LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information to the UE 105 via the NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 as assistance data in LPP and/or NPP messages.

The LPP or NPP message sent from the LMF 120 to the UE 105 may instruct the UE 105 to do any of a variety of things, depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may include instructions for the UE 105 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and/or OTDOA (or some other location method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct the UE 105 to obtain one or more measurement quantities (e.g., beam ID, beam width, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a particular cell supported by one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station, such as an eNB or WiFi AP). The UE 105 may send the measurement quantities back to the LMF 120 via the serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and the AMF 115 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., inside a 5G NAS message).

As mentioned, although communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc., used to support and interact with mobile devices such as UE 105 (e.g., to perform voice, data, positioning, and other functionality). In some such embodiments, 5GC 140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, 5GC 140 may connect to a WLAN using a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF, not shown in FIG. 1) in 5GC 140. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may connect to the WLAN and to other elements in 5GC 140, such as AMF 115. In some embodiments, both NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in an EPS, the NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN including eNBs, and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by an EPC including a mobility management entity (MME) instead of the AMF 115, an E-SMLC instead of the LMF 120, and a GMLC that may be similar to the GMLC 125. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use an LPPa instead of an NRPPa to send and receive location information to and from the eNBs in the E-UTRAN and may use an LPP to support positioning of the UE 105. In these other embodiments, positioning of the UE 105 using a directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for a 5G network, with the difference being that the functions and procedures described herein for the gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, and LMF 120 may instead be applied to other network elements, such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs, as the case may be.

As mentioned, in some embodiments, the positioning functionality may be implemented, at least in part, using directional SS beams sent by base stations (e.g., gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or ng-eNB 114) within range of the UE (e.g., UE 105 of FIG. 1) whose position is to be determined. The UE may, in some instances, use directional SS beams from multiple base stations (e.g., gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114) to calculate the UE's position.

2, UE 200 is an example of UE 105 and comprises a computing platform including a processor 210, memory 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for transceiver 215, a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a position (motion) device 219. Processor 210, memory 211, sensors 213, transceiver interface 214, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, and position (motion) device 219 may be communicatively coupled to one another by bus 220 (which may be configured for optical and/or electrical communication, for example). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., one or more of camera 218, position (motion) device 219, and/or sensors 213) may be omitted from UE 200. The processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 210 may comprise multiple processors, including a general-purpose/application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and/or a sensor processor 234. One or more of the processors 230-234 may comprise multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor 234 may comprise a processor, such as for radar, ultrasound, and/or lidar. The modem processor 232 may support dual SIM/dual connectivity (or even multiple SIMs). For example, one SIM (Subscriber Identity Module or Subscriber Identification Module) may be used by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used for connectivity by an end user of the UE 200. The memory 211 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and/or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code that includes instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause the processor 210 to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, the software 212 may not be directly executable by the processor 210, but may be configured, for example, when compiled and executed, to cause the processor 210 to perform a function. The description may refer to the processor 210 performing a function, which includes other implementations, such as when the processor 210 executes software and/or firmware. The description may refer to the processor 210 performing a function as shorthand for one or more of the processors 230-234 performing the function. The description may refer to the UE 200 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the UE 200 performing the function. Processor 210 may include memory in addition to and/or in place of memory 211 in which instructions are stored. The functionality of processor 210 is described more fully below.

The configuration of UE 200 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, not a limitation, of the present disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, an exemplary configuration of a UE includes one or more of processors 230-234 of processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other exemplary configurations include one or more of processors 230-234 of processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240, as well as one or more of sensor 213, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PMD 219, and/or wired transceiver 250.

The UE 200 may include a modem processor 232 that may be capable of performing baseband processing of signals received and downconverted by the transceiver 215 and/or the SPS receiver 217. The modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing of the signals to be upconverted for transmission by the transceiver 215. Also or alternatively, the baseband processing may be performed by the processor 230 and/or the DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform the baseband processing.

The UE 200 may include sensors 213, which may include, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 270, one or more magnetometers 271, and/or one or more environmental sensors 272. The IMU 270 may comprise one or more inertial sensors, for example, one or more accelerometers 273 (e.g., collectively responsive to acceleration of the UE 200 in three dimensions) and/or one or more gyroscopes 274. The magnetometers may provide measurements for determining orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and/or true north), which may be used for any of a variety of purposes, for example, to support one or more compass applications. The environmental sensors 272 may comprise, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and/or one or more microphones, etc. The sensors 213 may generate analog and/or digital signal representations that may be stored in the memory 211 and processed by the DSP 231 and/or the processor 230 in support of one or more applications, such as, for example, applications directed to positioning and/or navigation operations.

The sensors 213 may be used in relative location measurement, relative location determination, motion determination, etc. Information detected by the sensors 213 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based location determination, and/or sensor-assisted location determination. The sensors 213 may be useful for determining whether the UE 200 is fixed (stationary) or mobile and/or whether some useful information regarding the mobility of the UE 200 should be reported to the LMF 120. For example, based on information acquired/measured by the sensors 213, the UE 200 may notify/report to the LMF 120 that the UE 200 has detected movement or that the UE 200 has moved, and may report a relative displacement/distance (e.g., via dead reckoning, or sensor-based or sensor-assisted location determination enabled by the sensors 213). In another example, for relative positioning information, the sensors/IMUs may be used to determine the angle and/or orientation of other devices relative to the UE 200, etc.

The IMU 270 may be configured to provide measurements of the direction and/or speed of movement of the UE 200, which may be used in relative location determination. For example, the one or more accelerometers 273 and/or one or more gyroscopes 274 of the IMU 270 may detect the linear acceleration and rotational velocity of the UE 200, respectively. The measurements of the linear acceleration and rotational velocity of the UE 200 may be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction and displacement of the UE 200's movement. The instantaneous direction and displacement of the movement may be integrated to track the location of the UE 200. For example, a reference location of the UE 200 may be determined for a certain instant using, for example, the SPS receiver 217 (and/or by some other means), and measurements from the accelerometer 273 and gyroscope 274 taken after this instant may be used in dead reckoning to determine the current location of the UE 200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE 200 compared to the reference location.

Magnetic field strength in different directions may be determined, which may be used to determine the orientation of UE 200. For example, the orientation may be used to provide UE 200 with a digital compass. Magnetometer 271 may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. Also, or alternatively, magnetometer 271 may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. Magnetometer 271 may provide a means for sensing magnetic fields and providing an indication of the magnetic field, for example, to processor 210.

The transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices over wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 may include a transmitter 242 and a receiver 244 coupled to one or more antennas 246 to transmit (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and/or one or more sidelink channels) and/or receive (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and/or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals 248 and convert signals from the wireless signals 248 to wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals and from the wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals to the wireless signals 248. Thus, the transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters, which may be separate or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver 244 may include multiple receivers, which may be separate or combined/integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the TRP and/or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), V2C (Uu), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc. NR systems may be configured to operate on different frequency layers, such as FR1 (e.g., 410-7125 MHz) and FR2 (e.g., 24.25-52.6 GHz), and may extend into new bands, such as sub-6 GHz and/or above 100 GHz (e.g., FR2x, FR3, FR4). Wired transceiver 250 may include a transmitter 252 and a receiver 254 configured for wired communication with network 135, for example, to send communications to and receive communications from gNB 110a. Transmitter 252 may include multiple transmitters, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components, and/or receiver 254 may include multiple receivers, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components. Wired transceiver 250 may be configured for optical and/or electrical communication, for example. Transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to transceiver interface 214, for example, by an optical and/or electrical connection. The transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 215.

The user interface 216 may comprise one or more of several devices, such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibrating device, a keyboard, a touchscreen, etc. The user interface 216 may include any two or more of these devices. The user interface 216 may be configured to allow a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 200. For example, the user interface 216 may store representations of analog and/or digital signals in the memory 211 for processing by the DSP 231 and/or the general-purpose processor 230 in response to actions from the user. Similarly, applications hosted on the UE 200 may store representations of analog and/or digital signals in the memory 211 to present output signals to the user. The user interface 216 may include audio input/output (I/O) devices, such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, digital-to-analog circuitry, analog-to-digital circuitry, an amplifier, and/or gain control circuitry (including any two or more of these devices). Other configurations of audio I/O devices may be used. Also or alternatively, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to contact and/or pressure, for example, on the keyboard and/or touchscreen of the user interface 216.

SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring SPS signals 260 via SPS antenna 262. Antenna 262 is configured to convert wireless signals 260 into wired signals, e.g., electrical or optical signals, and may be integrated with antenna 246. SPS receiver 217 may be configured to process acquired SPS signals 260, in whole or in part, to estimate the location of UE 200. For example, SPS receiver 217 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200 by trilateration using SPS signals 260. General-purpose processor 230, memory 211, DSP 231, and/or one or more specialized processors (not shown) may be utilized in conjunction with SPS receiver 217 to process acquired SPS signals, in whole or in part, and/or to calculate the estimated location of UE 200. Memory 211 may store representations (e.g., measurements) of SPS signals 260 and/or other signals (e.g., signals acquired from wireless transceiver 240) for use in performing positioning operations. General-purpose processor 230, DSP 231, and/or one or more specialized processors, and/or memory 211 may provide or support a location engine for use in processing the measurements to estimate the location of UE 200.

The UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or video images. The camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or CMOS imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and/or compression of signals representing the captured images may be performed by the general-purpose processor 230 and/or the DSP 231. Also or alternatively, the video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and/or manipulation of signals representing the captured images. The video processor 233 may, for example, decode/decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) of the user interface 216.

Position (motion) device (PMD) 219 may be configured to determine the position and possibly the movement of UE 200. For example, PMD 219 may be in communication with and/or include part or all of SPS receiver 217. PMD 219 may also or alternatively be configured to determine the location of UE 200 using terrestrial-based signals (e.g., at least some of signals 248) to assist in acquiring and using SPS signals 260 for trilateration, or both. PMD 219 may be configured to use one or more other techniques for determining the location of UE 200 (e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's location beacon)) and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS signals and terrestrial positioning signals) to determine the location of UE 200. The PMD 219 may include one or more of the sensors 213 (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.) that may sense the orientation and/or movement of the UE 200 and provide an indication that the processor 210 (e.g., the processor 230 and/or the DSP 231) may be configured to use to determine the movement (e.g., velocity vector and/or acceleration vector) of the UE 200. The PMD 219 may be configured to provide an indication of uncertainty and/or error in the determined position and/or movement.

Also referring to FIG. 3, an example TRP 300 of BS 110a, 110b, 114 comprises a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, a transceiver 315, and (optionally) an SPS receiver 317. The processor 310, memory 311, transceiver 315, and SPS receiver 317 may be communicatively coupled to each other by a bus 320 (which may be configured for optical and/or electrical communications, for example). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., the wireless interface and/or the SPS receiver 317) may be omitted from the TRP 300. The SPS receiver 317 may be configured similarly to the SPS receiver 217 to receive and acquire an SPS signal 360 via an SPS antenna 362. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 310 may comprise multiple processors (including, for example, a general-purpose/application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and/or a sensor processor, as shown in FIG. 2). The memory 311 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and/or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 311 stores software 312, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code that includes instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause the processor 310 to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, the software 312 may not be directly executable by the processor 310, but may be configured, for example, when compiled and executed, to cause the processor 310 to perform a function. While the description may refer to the processor 310 performing a function, this includes other implementations, such as when the processor 310 executes software and/or firmware. The description may refer to the processor 310 performing a function as shorthand for one or more of the processors included in the processor 310 performing the function. The description may refer to the TRP 300 performing a function as shorthand for one or more suitable components of the TRP 300 (and thus one of the BSs 110a, 110b, 114) performing the function. The processor 310 may include memory in addition to and/or in place of the memory 311 on which instructions are stored. The functionality of the processor 310 is described more fully below.

The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices over wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a transmitter 342 and a receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 to transmit (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) and/or receive (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) wireless signals 348 and convert signals from the wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals and from the wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals to the wireless signals 348. Thus, the transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver 344 may include multiple receivers, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the UE 200, one or more other UEs, and/or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc. The wired transceiver 350 may include a transmitter 352 and a receiver 354 configured for wired communication with the network 140, e.g., to send communications to and receive communications from the LMF 120 or other network server. Transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components, and/or receiver 354 may include multiple receivers, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components. Wired transceiver 350 may be configured for optical and/or electrical communications, for example.

The configuration of TRP300 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, not a limitation, of the present disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, although the description herein describes TRP300 being configured to perform or performing certain functions, one or more of these functions may be performed by LMF120 and/or UE200 (i.e., LMF120 and/or UE200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

Also referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary server, such as LMF 120, comprises a computing platform including a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, the memory 411, and the transceiver 415 may be communicatively coupled to each other by a bus 420 (which may be configured for optical and/or electrical communication, for example). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 410 may comprise multiple processors (including, for example, a general-purpose/application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and/or a sensor processor, as shown in FIG. 2). The memory 411 is a non-transitory storage medium, which may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and/or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 411 stores software 412, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code including instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause the processor 410 to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, the software 412 may not be directly executable by the processor 410, but may be configured, for example, when compiled and executed, to cause the processor 410 to perform a function. The description may refer to the processor 410 performing a function, which includes other implementations, such as when the processor 410 executes software and/or firmware. The description may refer to the processor 410 performing a function as shorthand for one or more of the processors included therein performing the function. The description may refer to the server 400 (or the LMF 120) performing a function as shorthand for one or more suitable components of the server 400 performing the function. The processor 410 may include a memory having instructions stored therein in addition to and/or in place of the memory 411. The functionality of processor 410 is described more fully below.

The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices over wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a transmitter 442 and a receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 to transmit (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and/or receive (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 448 and convert signals from the wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals and from the wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals to the wireless signals 448. Thus, the transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver 444 may include multiple receivers, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the UE 200, one or more other UEs, and/or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc. The wired transceiver 450 may include a transmitter 452 and a receiver 454 configured for wired communication with the network 135, e.g., to send communications to and receive communications from the TRP 300. The transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver 454 may include multiple receivers, which may be separate components or combined/integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured for optical and/or electrical communications, for example.

The configuration of server 400 shown in FIG. 4 is an example, not a limitation, of the present disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Also or alternatively, although the description herein describes server 400 being configured to perform or performing certain functions, one or more of these functions may be performed by TRP300 and/or UE200 (i.e., TRP300 and/or UE200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

5A and 5B, exemplary downlink PRS resource sets are shown. Generally, a PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources across one base station (e.g., TRP 300) that have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor across slots. A first PRS resource set 502 includes four resources and a repetition factor of four, with a time gap equal to one slot. A second PRS resource set 504 includes four resources and a repetition factor of four, with a time gap equal to four slots. The repetition factor indicates the number of times each PRS resource is repeated within each single instance of the PRS resource set (e.g., a value of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, or 32). The time gap represents the offset in slots (e.g., a value of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32) between two repeated instances of PRS resources corresponding to the same PRS resource ID within a single instance of the PRS resource set. The duration spanned by a PRS resource set containing repeated PRS resources does not exceed the PRS periodicity. Repetition of PRS resources allows receiver beams to sweep across the repetitions and combine RF gain to increase coverage. Repetition may also enable intra-instance muting.

Referring to FIG. 6, exemplary subframe and slot formats for positioning reference signal transmission are shown. The exemplary subframe and slot formats are included within the PRS resource sets shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The subframe and slot formats in FIG. 6 are exemplary and not limiting, and include Comb 2 602 having a 2-symbol format, Comb 4 604 having a 4-symbol format, Comb 2 606 having a 12-symbol format, Comb 4 608 having a 12-symbol format, Comb 6 610 having a 6-symbol format, Comb 12 612 having a 12-symbol format, Comb 2 614 having a 6-symbol format, and Comb 6 616 having a 12-symbol format. Generally, a subframe may include 14 symbol periods with indices 0 through 13. The subframe and slot format may be used for the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). Typically, a base station may transmit a PRS from antenna port 6 on one or more slots in each subframe configured for PRS transmission. A base station may avoid transmitting a PRS on resource elements allocated to the PBCH, primary synchronization signal (PSS), or secondary synchronization signal (SSS), regardless of their antenna port. A cell may generate reference symbols for a PRS based on a cell ID, symbol period index, and slot index. In general, a UE may be able to distinguish between PRSs from different cells.

A base station may transmit a PRS over a specific PRS bandwidth, which may be configured by higher layers. The base station may transmit the PRS on subcarriers spaced across the PRS bandwidth. The base station may also transmit the PRS based on parameters such as PRS periodicity TPRS, subframe offset PRS, and PRS duration NPRS. PRS periodicity is the periodicity at which the PRS is transmitted. The PRS periodicity may be, for example, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 ms. The subframe offset indicates the specific subframes in which the PRS is transmitted. And, the PRS duration indicates the number of consecutive subframes in which the PRS is transmitted during each period of PRS transmission (PRS occasion). The PRS duration may be, for example, 1, 2, 4, or 6 ms.

The PRS periodicity TPRS and subframe offset PRS may be signaled via a PRS configuration index IPRS. The PRS configuration index and PRS duration may be independently configured by higher layers. A set of NPRS consecutive subframes in which a PRS is transmitted may be referred to as a PRS occasion. Each PRS occasion may be enabled or muted; for example, the UE may apply a muting bit to each cell. A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a base station that have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor across slots (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, or 32 slots).

Generally, the PRS resource shown in Figures 5A and 5B may be a set of resource elements used for transmitting a PRS. The set of resource elements can span multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. Within a given OFDM symbol, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. A PRS resource is represented by at least the following parameters: a PRS resource identifier (ID), a sequence ID, a comb size N, a resource element offset in the frequency domain, a starting slot and symbol, the number of symbols per PRS resource (i.e., the duration of the PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). Currently, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers in each symbol carrying a PRS. For example, a comb size of comb4 means that every fourth subcarrier in a given symbol carries a PRS.

A PRS resource set is a set of PRS resources used for transmitting PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same transmit/receive point (e.g., TRP 300). Each of the PRS resources in a PRS resource set has the same periodicity, a common muting pattern, and the same repetition factor across slots. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and may be associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by a base station antenna panel. A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set may be associated with an omnidirectional signal and/or a single beam (and/or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station may transmit one or more beams). Each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam; therefore, a PRS resource, or simply a resource, may also be referred to as a beam. Note that this does not have any implications on whether the base station and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

Referring to FIG. 7, a diagram of an exemplary positioning frequency layer 700 is shown. In one example, the positioning frequency layer 700 may be a collection of PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs. The positioning frequency layer may have the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type, the same point A, the same DL PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB, and the same comb size. Numerologies supported for PDSCH may be supported for PRS. Each PRS resource set in the positioning frequency layer 700 is a collection of PRS resources across one TRP with the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor across slots.

It should be noted that the terms positioning reference signal and PRS refer to reference signals that may be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS signals, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS), uplink positioning reference signals (UL-PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), and sounding reference signals (SRS).

The capability of a UE to process PRS signals may vary based on the UE's capabilities. However, generally, industry standards may be developed to establish common PRS capabilities for UEs in a network. For example, an existing industry standard may require the duration of a DL PRS symbol in milliseconds (ms) that a UE can process every T ms, assuming a maximum DL PRS bandwidth in MHz, supported and reported by the UE. By way of example and not limitation, the maximum DL PRS bandwidth for the FR1 band may be 5, 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, or 100 MHz, and for the FR2 band it may be 50, 100, 200, or 400 MHz. Standards may also indicate DL PRS buffering capabilities as Type 1 (i.e., subslot/symbol-level buffering) or Type 2 (i.e., slot-level buffering). The common UE capability may indicate the duration N of a DL PRS symbol in ms that the UE can process every T ms assuming a maximum DL PRS bandwidth in MHz, which duration N is supported and reported by the UE. Exemplary T values may include 8, 16, 20, 30, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, and 1280 ms, and exemplary N values may include 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 25, 30, 32, 35, 40, 45, and 50 ms. The UE may be configured to report a combination of (N, T) values for each band, where N is the duration of a DL PRS symbol in ms that is processed every T ms for a given maximum bandwidth (B) in MHz supported by the UE. In general, a UE may not be expected to support a DL PRS bandwidth that exceeds the reported DL PRS bandwidth value. A UE DL PRS processing capability may be defined for a single positioning frequency layer 700. The UE DL PRS processing capability may be agnostic to the DL PRS comb factor configuration, such as that shown in FIG. 6. The UE processing capability may indicate the maximum number of DL PRS resources the UE can process in a slot less than that. For example, the maximum number for the FR1 band may be 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, or 64 for each SCS, i.e., 15 kHz, 30 kHz, and 60 kHz, and the maximum number for the FR2 band may be 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, or 64 for each SCS, i.e., 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, and 120 kHz.

Industry standards for higher frequencies (e.g., millimeter wave (mmW)), such as FR4 (i.e., 52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), may utilize different DL PRS resources and bandwidth portions to provide DL PRS to UEs. The UE antenna array and expanded bandwidth utilized in mmW applications may affect the transmit and receive beam patterns associated with the different bandwidth portions.

Referring to FIG. 8, an exemplary bandwidth portion 800 having multiple resource bandwidths is shown. In one embodiment, the beam pattern/shape of a signal transmitted from a UE may be associated with the bandwidth portion and resource bandwidth. Generally, a bandwidth portion (BWP) 800 represents a set of contiguous common resource blocks within a component carrier. In this figure, the frequency of the BWP 800 is shown along the horizontal axis of FIG. 8. A BWP may be used to serve UEs that do not support the full channel bandwidth (i.e., when the channel bandwidths of the base station and the UE do not match). In one example, a UE may be configured with up to four DL BWPs per carrier and up to four UL BWPs per carrier. The UE may utilize the DL BWPs and UL BWPs to transmit and receive signals such as data channels, control channels, CSI-RS, DL-PRS, UL-PRS (SRS), PUCCH, and PUSCH. Bandwidth portion information, including one or more BWPs and associated resource BWs (RBWs), may be signaled by one or more system information blocks (SIBs) received from the base station. The UE may be configured with a default DL BWP and/or may receive a parameter structure for configuring an initial DL BWP (e.g., using the initialDownlinkBWP parameter structure specified in 3GPP TS38.211). Parameters for the UL BWP may be received in bandwidth portion information (e.g., via SIB or other dedicated signaling). The base station may dynamically switch the activated BWP (e.g., the active BWP) via a bandwidth portion indicator field accompanying the downlink control information (DCI) signal.

The bandwidth portion information defining the active BWP (i.e., the currently active bandwidth portion 800) may further include resource bandwidth information defining multiple resource BWs, such as a first resource BW 802, a second resource BW 804, a third resource BW 806, and a fourth resource BW 808. The terms resource BW, RBW, component carrier, and subband may be used interchangeably herein. In contrast to the delay associated with switching the active BWP, the base station may utilize DCI-based signaling or media access control control element (MAC-CE) signaling to quickly change between resource BWs 802, 804, 806, and 808. Radio resource control (RRC) signaling may be used to configure resource BWs 802, 804, 806, and 808 within the BWP 800. The BWP 800 relates to radio parameters required for communication with a base station (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH, PRS, SRS, PDSCH, PDCCH, DMRS, etc.), and when the active BWP is switched, the UE may need to reconfigure its internal radio parameters based on the new BWP. Each of the resource BWs 802, 804, 806, and 808 may inherit signaling configurations from the active BWP, eliminating the need to retune RF components in some UEs. The resource BWs may cover all or part of the active BWP. For example, the first resource BW 802 covers a significant portion of the active BWP, while the second, third, and fourth resource BWs 804, 806, and 808 cover smaller portions of the active BWP. The resource BWs may have disjointed coverage across the active BWP. For example, the third resource BW 806 includes areas on both edges of the active BWP.

Referring to FIG. 9A, a perspective view of multiple antenna modules 904a-c in an exemplary user equipment 900 is shown. The UE 900 may include the features described above in the UE 200, although the elements are not shown in FIG. 9A to emphasize the exemplary locations of the antenna modules 904a-c. The antenna modules 904a-c are examples of multi-element patch, dipole, strip, and/or other antenna array configurations used in mobile devices and configured for phased array transmission and reception (e.g., beamforming). Each of the antenna modules 904a-c may include an array of elements, such as 1x4, 1x5, 1x8, 2x4, 2x5, 2x8, 3x8, etc. The array dimensions and sizes are examples and may vary as the operating frequency increases. Generally, beamforming capability (e.g., array gain) increases with increased array size. In one example, the UE 900 includes a frame 902 configured to receive the antenna modules 904a-c along its edges, as shown in FIG. 9A. The edge thickness of the UE 900 is by way of example and not limitation, as the thickness and dimensions of the antenna modules 904a-c may vary based on technology and other market demands. For example, future wireless devices may have edge thicknesses less than 4.0 millimeters. The frame 902 may include one or more mounting assemblies configured to secure one or more antenna modules 904a-c along the edge to improve the coverage area of the UE 900. Multiple antenna modules 904a-c enable 3D movement, such that each module may be configured to generate beams along different axes. The location and number of antenna modules 904a-c are examples, as different wireless devices may include antenna modules on different surfaces of the UE 900 and may have other edge functions/controls, such as volume, on/off, scroll wheels, etc., that may affect the antenna configuration. Generally, as the operating frequency of a mobile device increases, the number of antenna elements in an antenna module may also increase. When the dimensions and spacing of the antenna elements are tuned to a specific frequency, the increased number of elements may enable improved beamforming capabilities. Higher frequencies may also increase the required operating bandwidth of the wireless channel, and the beamforming capabilities of the antenna modules may vary across the bandwidth. Furthermore, the state of the UE 900 may affect the beamforming capabilities of the antenna modules 904a-c. For example, if the UE 900 determines that a user's hand is in proximity to the first antenna module 904a, it may be configured to modify the power output to one or more of the antenna modules 904a-c. The presence of the user and the orientation of the UE 900 relative to the user may also affect the beam pattern. Similarly, the presence of peripheral devices such as power cords, headphones, and credit card readers may affect the beam pattern generated by one or more of the antenna modules 904a-c.

9B, a diagram 950 of an example beam pattern based on antenna modules 904a-c of a UE 900 is shown. Diagram 950 includes a base station 952 configured to transmit multiple beamformed signals, such as a first beam 954 and a second beam 958. The base station 952 is an example of a TRP 300, such as a gNB 110a-b and an ng-eNB 114 configured to transmit and receive RF signals utilizing beamforming techniques. The UE 900 is also configured to transmit and receive RF signals utilizing the antenna modules 904a-c and corresponding antenna tuning and phase shifters in the transceiver 240. The antenna modules 904a-c and/or the transceiver 250 may include at least one radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC). The RFIC may be configured to adjust the power and/or radiation beam pattern associated with the antenna modules 904a-c. An RFIC is an example of an antenna controller, which may be configured to utilize phase shifters and/or hybrid antenna couplers to control the power directed to the antenna array and the resulting beam pattern. For example, the first antenna module 904a may be configured to generate three beams along three different axes, such as a first beam 904a-1, a second beam 904a-2, and a third beam 904a-3. The beam patterns, number, and orientations are examples and not limitations. Other antenna modules may be configured to generate beams on different axes and in different planes. The second antenna module 904b is configured to generate a first beam 904b-1, a second beam 904b-2, and a third beam 904b-3. The third antenna module 904c is configured to generate a first beam 904c-1, a second beam 904c-2, and a third beam 904c-3. Each of the beams from a respective antenna module 904a-c may be configured to transmit and receive signals from a base station 952. The UE 900 is configured to generate the beams based on tuning circuits and phase shifters, such as an RFIC, and corresponding codebook parameters associated with each of the beams.

The UE 900 may be configured to receive one or more beams transmitted from a base station 952 using one or more of the antenna modules 904a-c. In one example, the base station 952 may be configured to transmit a first set of beamformed reference signals, such as DL-PRS, in a first subband of a frequency layer (e.g., FR4, sub-6G, mmW band, etc.). The beam pattern and beam shape of the first set of beamformed reference signals transmitted by the base station 952 are based in part on the frequency of the first subband. The first subband may be a BWP, RBW, component carrier (CC), or other distribution of RBs in the frequency layer. The base station 952 is configured to generate the first set of beamformed reference signals based on tuning circuits and phase shifters, as well as corresponding codebook parameters associated with each of the beams. For example, the first beam 954 may correspond to a first DL-PRS resource and may have a peak in the array gain corresponding to an angle associated with the first reflector 960. The first reflector 960 may be a building or other structure that may cause a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path 954a based on reflection or refraction of the first beam 954. The UE 900 may receive the NLOS path 954a via a second beam 904c-2 on the third antenna module 904c. The second beam 958 may have a peak array gain angle (i.e., AoD) directed toward the UE 900, and the UE 900 may receive the second beam 958 using the third beam 904b-3 of the second antenna module 904b. In operation, the UE 900 may be configured to utilize the AoD and AoA of the first and/or second beams 954, 958 in positioning calculations. For example, the locations of the base station 952 and the reflector 960 and the corresponding beam coverage areas associated with the AoD may be known. The UE 900 may also be configured to utilize the relative angles between the received beams (e.g., 904b-3, 904c-2) in positioning calculations. Other measurements from the first and second beams 954, 958, as well as beams from other base stations (not shown in FIG. 9B), may also be used to determine location based on multilateration and other ranging techniques (e.g., TDOA, RTT, RSSI, RSRP, etc.).

10A and 10B, diagrams of beam squinting associated with antenna codebook design are shown. The graphs in FIGS. 10A and 10B include an array gain axis 1002 and a spatial angle axis 1004, and represent beams generated by two exemplary 16x1 arrays with element spacing equal to half the wavelength (i.e., d=λ/2) for 57 GHz (FIG. 10A) and 71 GHz (FIG. 10B). The antenna arrays are configured to cover ±50 degrees around the boresight direction using a codebook of size 12. That is, each of the 12 beams in the 57 GHz array in FIG. 10A is based on the associated codebook parameters for that beam, and each of the 12 beams in the 71 GHz array in FIG. 10B is based on the associated codebook parameters for that beam. Each graph includes exemplary gain and spatial angle values for three different frequencies: 57 GHz, 61 GHz, and 71 GHz. Different frequency values are examples of different subbands in which antenna modules 904a-c may be utilized, and when the frequencies in the subbands are not the same as the preferred element spacing. That is, the wavelength (λ) of the signals in the subbands may differ from the array spacing d=λ/2. Because the codebook for the array is typically the same regardless of the frequency of the input signal (with codebook loading time dependent on RF settling time, which can be significant at mmWave carrier frequencies), the resulting angle at which the peak in the array gain appears may vary based on different input signals. This effect is called beam squinting. For example, referring to FIG. 10A , where the array spacing is configured for d=λ/2 at 57 GHz, the peak angle 1006 for the array gain with a 57 GHz signal is different from the peak angle 1008 for the array gain with a 61 GHz signal, which is different from the peak angle 1010 for the array gain with a 71 GHz signal. The effect of beam squinting can have a significant impact on the beam pattern and shape, as well as steering the beam away from the boresight of the array. For example, the outermost beam may vary by approximately 20 degrees across frequency. In another example, referring to FIG. 10B where the array spacing is configured for d=λ/2 at 71 GHz, the peak angle 1012 for the array gain with a 57 GHz signal is different from the peak angle 1014 for the array gain with a 61 GHz signal, which is different from the peak angle 1016 for the array gain with a 71 GHz signal.

The beam pattern graphs in Figures 10A and 10B show that beams may not be well correlated across different frequencies. Different beam indices may yield better results at different carrier frequencies, especially toward the edge of the antenna coverage, where angular differences across different frequencies may be more significant. For example, depending on the steering angle in question, beams from either 57 GHz or 71 GHz may yield improved signal strength (e.g., the gain difference may be significant, approximately 2-3 dB). In one example, a smaller codebook size at _f = 71 GHz may be sufficient to cover the same area as that covered using _f = 57 GHz.

11A, a diagram 1100 of exemplary frequency-dependent beam patterns in a UE 900 using antenna modules 904a-c is shown. The frequencies and beam patterns shown in FIG. 11A are examples and are simplified to demonstrate the concept of beam squinting in a mobile device. The frequencies may relate to a BWP, RBW, CC, RB, or other portion of the frequency range used for wireless communications. In one example, a first frequency (i.e., frequency X) may be based on a 57 GHz signal, and a second frequency (i.e., frequency Y) may be based on a 71 GHz signal. Because the antenna array elements in the antenna modules 904a-c are in fixed positions, the corresponding beam patterns experience beam squinting for different frequencies. Therefore, the beam shapes and beam angles may change based on different frequencies as shown in the example in FIG. 11A. In one example, beam weights associated with different frequencies may be stored on the UE 900 and/or network resources (e.g., LMF 120) and may be used in positioning calculations. For example, a change in frequency from frequency X to frequency Y may change the corresponding AoD and AoA measurements for signals transmitted and received by UE 900.

Referring to FIG. 11B, a diagram 1100 of exemplary user equipment state-dependent beam patterns for a UE 900 using antenna modules 904a-c is shown. The UE states and beam patterns shown in FIG. 11B are examples and are simplified to demonstrate the concept of state-based beam configuration in a mobile device. The exemplary beam patterns shown in FIG. 11B may be associated with subbands, and the beam patterns for states may differ for different subbands. UE states may correspond to detectable hardware configurations and operational use cases. For example, a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar may be used to determine the relative distance between a user and the UE 900. Power regulation and radiation protection algorithms may be used to vary the beam pattern based on the user's proximity (e.g., hand, head, pocket position, etc.). Other sensors may also be used to detect the state of the UE 900 relative to the user. UE states may also include the use of peripheral devices, such as a card reader, headphones, device cover, or power cable, which may affect the beam pattern generated by the antenna modules 904a-c. Several different UE states may be detected and associated with different beam patterns for each subband. For example, a first UE state (i.e., UE State 1) includes a first beam pattern for the antenna modules 904a-c when the card reader 1102 is operably coupled to the UE 900. A second state (i.e., UE State 2) includes a second beam pattern for the antenna modules 904a-c when the UE 900 is in the cradle 1104. The card reader 1102 and the cradle 1104 are examples of peripheral devices that have a deterministic effect on the beam patterns generated by the antenna modules 904a-c. In one example, each UE state may utilize a different codebook (e.g., tuning and phase shifter parameters) to generate beam patterns in different subbands. In one example, the UE 900 may have a single codebook that is state-independent, and the beam patterns for the subbands may be based on field effects caused by the peripheral devices. The resulting beam patterns for antenna modules 904a-c may be characterized based on a combination of frequency and UE state.

11A and 11B, an exemplary data structure 1200 for frequency- and state-based beam patterns is shown. The data structure may persist as a bitmap, text table, or other computer-readable format in memory 211 in UE 200, memory 311 in TRP 300, and/or memory 411 in server 400. Data structure 1200 may include multiple UE objects 1202 containing beam pattern information based on frequency and UE state parameters. For example, UE objects 1202 may be based on UE device product line (e.g., manufacturer model number), standard bill of materials, or other characteristics that may be related to UE form or function and may be used to categorize similar UEs. In one example, UE object 1202 may be associated with a single UE (e.g., based on serial number, user ID, or other unique identification information). Each UE object 1202 may include a set of beam weights for classifying antenna gains (e.g., beams) for a combination of frequency and UE state. The frequencies may correspond to defined frequency layers, BWPs, RBWs, CCs, RBs, or other ranges in the frequency domain. The frequencies in data structure 1200 (e.g., frequency X, frequency Y, frequency Z, ..., frequency xx) may be associated with one or more UE states (e.g., UE state 1, UE state 2, UE state 3, ..., UE state n). The UE states may correspond to detectable hardware configurations and operational use cases, such as those described in FIG. 11B. In one embodiment, each UE state 1 may be associated with a codebook such that tuning and phase shifter parameters may vary for each UE state. In one embodiment, a codebook may be associated with UE object 1202 and used for each UE state and frequency combination.

In operation, the beam weights in data structure 1200 (e.g., beam weights x.1, x.2, x.3, y.1, y.2..., xx.n) may be used to indicate array gain information and beam patterns for each frequency and state combination. The beam weights may be used by UE 200 and the network (e.g., gNB 110a, LMF 120) for positioning. For example, each beam defined by the beam weight may be associated with a beam identification value, which may be used by UE 200 to calculate AoA based on DL-PRS and by gNB 110a or LMF 120 to determine AoD for UL signals transmitted by UE 200. Data structure 1200 may be provided to the network via wireless signaling, such as via an LPP/NPP protocol, radio resource control (RRC), or other messaging interface.

13A, an example message flow 1300 for providing frequency- and state-dependent beam patterns for downlink-based positioning is shown. Message flow 1300 is illustrative and not limiting, as other message and signaling techniques may be used to propagate frequency- and state-dependent beam patterns. In one embodiment, message flow 1300 includes UE 200, TRP 300, and at least one server 400. In a 5G NR network such as communication system 100, TRP 300 may be gNBs 110a-b, and server 400 may be one or more of AMF 115 and LMF 120. UE 200 may include configuration data related to antenna gain and beam performance at various frequencies and UE states. The beam weights in data structure 1200 may be used to generate beam pattern information associated with various UE states and one or more subbands, such as BWP, RBW, CC, or RB, used in the network DL-PRS configuration. In one example, each PRS resource in the positioning frequency layer 700 may be associated with one or more subbands. The UE 200 may be configured to provide assistance data including the frequency- and state-based antenna array gain distribution as in the data structure 1200 in one or more beam weight information messages 1302. The provided beam weight information messages 1302 may be provided via messaging utilizing a wireless protocol, such as LPP, NRPP, RRC messaging, or other signaling interface. In one example, the TRP 300 may be configured to provide the beam weight information to the LMF 120 in one or more UE beam weight information messages 1304.

The TRP 300 may be configured to transmit one or more reference signals 1306 (e.g., DL-PRS) in a subband, and in stage 1308, the UE 200 may be configured to obtain measurements of the reference signals 1306 using a frequency- and state-based receive beam. The receive beam is based on the UE 200's current state and beam weights corresponding to the subbands in which the DL-PRS 1306 is transmitted. The UE 200 may receive the DL-PRS from other TRPs (not shown in FIG. 13A) and obtain additional measurements in stage 1308 based on the frequency- and state-based receive beam. The UE 200 may be configured to determine a location in stage 1312 based on the DL-PRS measurements and assistance data (e.g., base station location information). The UE 200 may be configured to report the location results to the network (e.g., gNB 110a, AMF 115, and/or LMF 120) via a location report message 1316 (e.g., LPP/NRPPa, RRC, etc.).

In one example, UE 200 may be configured to provide AoA and other PRS beam measurement information to server 400 in one or more measurement provision messages 1310, and server 400 may be configured to determine the location of the UE at stage 1314.

Referring to FIG. 13B, an example message flow 1350 for providing frequency- and condition-dependent beam patterns for uplink-based positioning is shown. The message flow 1350 is by way of example and not limitation, as other messaging and signaling techniques may be used to propagate frequency- and condition-dependent beam patterns. The UE 200 may be configured to provide assistance data including the frequency- and condition-based antenna array gain distribution as in the data structure 1200 in one or more beam weight information messages 1302. The provided beam weight information messages 1302 may be provided via messaging utilizing a wireless protocol, such as LPP, NRPP, RRC messaging, or other signaling interface. In one example, the TRP 300 may be configured to provide the beam weight information in one or more UE beam weight information messages 1304. The server 400 may be configured to initiate a positioning session by sending a positioning activation request message 1356 to one or more TRPs 300. The TRP 300 may be configured to send a UL-SRS activation message 1358 configured to trigger or request the UE 200 to transmit one or more UL-SRSs based on a frequency- and state-dependent beam pattern. In one example, the UL-SRS activation message 1358 may indicate the frequency/subband (e.g., BWP, RBW, CC, RB, etc.) and approximate orientation of other nearby TRPs toward which the UE 200 should steer the UL-SRS. In one embodiment, the UL-SRS activation message 1358 may be a media access control (MAC) control element (CE). The UE 200 is configured to transmit one or more UL-SRSs 1360 in response to the UL-SRS activation 1358. The UL-SRSs 1360 utilize frequency and state beam patterns based on the required subband information. The TRP 300, or other TRPs receiving the UL-SRSs 1360, is configured to obtain SRS-based measurements at stage 1362. The measurements may include AoA, RSSI, RTT, RSRP, and RSRQ, as required by the positioning activation request 1356. The TRP 300 may forward the measurements to the server 400 in one or more measurement response messages 1364. The server 400 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 based on the UL-SRS measurements received from multiple TRPs.

With further reference to FIGS. 1-13B and referring to FIG. 14, a method 1400 for measuring one or more reference signals based on a frequency- and state-dependent beam pattern includes the stages shown. However, method 1400 is by way of example and not limitation. Method 1400 may be modified, for example, by adding, removing, reordering, combining, or performing stages in parallel, and/or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

At stage 1402, the method includes transmitting array gain information to a network entity, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on subbands and a state of the mobile device. UE 200 is a means for providing the array gain information. The array gain information may include gain and direction information of at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe for each of a plurality of reference signals. In one example, UE 200 may include array gain information, such as data structure 1200 including beam weight information for the UE based on subbands (i.e., frequencies) and a state of the UE. Data structure 1200 may be based on a bitmap, a text field, or other computer-readable data format. The subbands may be based on a PRS resource set in frequency layer 700. In one example, the subbands may be BWP, RBW, CC, RB, or other portions of the frequency spectrum within the operating capabilities of UE 200. The state of the UE may be based on a predetermined state included in data structure 1200. For example, the state may be based on detection of peripheral devices (e.g., headphones, power cords, etc.) and/or user proximity (e.g., signal attenuation based on hand, head location, or other radiation mitigation process). Each beam in each beam pattern may be associated with a beam identity value to associate the beam with an orientation relative to the UE 200.

At stage 1404, the method includes receiving one or more reference signals in one or more subbands, where a receive beam for each of the one or more reference signals is based at least in part on the subband in which the one or more reference signals are being received and the current state of the mobile device. UE 200 is a means for receiving the one or more reference signals. In one example, TRP 300 and neighboring TRPs are configured to transmit DL-PRS in one or more subbands. UE 200 may utilize beam weights based on the subband frequency and the UE state. For example, with reference to FIG. 12, the subband may be associated with a first frequency (i.e., frequency X), the UE may be in a second state (i.e., UE state 2), and UE 200 may receive the DL-PRS using corresponding beam weight X.2.

At stage 1406, the method includes determining measurements based on one or more reference signals. UE 200 is a means for obtaining the measurements based on the reference signals. UE 200 may determine AoA for DL-PRS and may perform other measurements such as RSSI, RTT, RSRP, and RSRQ based on frequency and state-based beam patterns. In one embodiment, UE 200 may be configured to determine a location (i.e., local position determination) based on the DL-PRS measurements.

At stage 1408, the method optionally includes providing, to a network entity, measurements based on the one or more reference signals using the mobile device, the measurements including receive beam identification information associated with each of the respective receive beams used to receive the one or more reference signals. UE 200 is a means for providing the measurements. In one example, UE 200 may be configured to provide one or more measurement value providing messages 1310 using LPP/NPP, RRC, or other messaging. The measurement value messages 1310 may include AoA and/or other measurements, and server 400 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200 based on the measurement information.

Referring to FIG. 15 with further reference to FIGS. 1-13A, a method 1500 for providing an uplink reference signal based on a frequency- and condition-dependent beam pattern includes the stages shown. However, method 1500 is by way of example and not limitation. Method 1500 may be modified, for example, by adding, removing, reordering, combining, or performing stages in parallel, and/or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

At stage 1502, the method includes receiving array gain information from the mobile device, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on subbands and conditions of the mobile device. The TRP 300 is a means for receiving the array gain information. The array gain information may include gain and direction information of at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe for each of a plurality of reference signals. The UE 200 may be configured to provide the array gain information as a data structure 1200 including beam weights (e.g., beam patterns) based on one or more UE conditions and one or more frequency bands (e.g., BWP, RBW, CC, RB, etc.). In one example, the UE 200 may provide the array gain information via one or more beam weight information messages 1302, which may be provided via messaging utilizing a wireless protocol, such as LPP, NRPP, RRC messaging, or other signaling interface.

At stage 1504, the method includes providing an indication of one or more uplink reference signals to be transmitted by the mobile device based at least in part on the array gain information. The TRP 300 is a means for providing the indication of one or more uplink reference signals. The TRP 300 may provide the array gain information associated with the UE 200 received at stage 1502 to a network entity, such as the LMF 120. For example, the TRP 300 may utilize the NRPPa protocol (or other protocol) to provide the data structure 1200 to the LMF 120. In one example, the TRP 300 may receive a positioning activation request 1356 to obtain an UL-SRS from one or more UEs. The TRP 300 may be configured to provide a UL-SRS activation request message 1358 to the UE 200 as an indication of one or more uplink reference signals to be transmitted. In one example, the UL-SRS activation request message 1358 may be a MAC-CE message configured to cause the UE 200 to transmit an UL-SRS 1360. The UL-SRS activation request message 1358 may include an indication of the subbands of the beam in which the UE 200 will transmit. For example, array gain information may indicate in which subbands the UE 200 may transmit based on the current UE conditions.

At stage 1506, the method includes measuring an uplink reference signal transmitted by the mobile device in the subband. The TRP 300 is a means for measuring the uplink reference signal. The UE 200 is configured to transmit an SRS based on the beam pattern in the data structure 1200. The TRP may determine the AoA of the SRS and other measurements, such as RSSI, RTT, RSRP, and RSRQ, for the received UL-PRS. In one example, the UL-SRS may include beam identification information based on the beam pattern, and the TRP may determine a relative AoD based on the beam identification information and the beam pattern. In one embodiment, the TRP 300 may provide the SRS measurements to a network entity, such as the LMF 120, via one or more measurement response messages 1364.

With further reference to FIGS. 1-13B and referring to FIG. 16, a method 1600 for determining an uplink reference signal based at least in part on a frequency- and condition-dependent beam pattern includes the stages shown. However, method 1600 is by way of example and not limitation. Method 1600 may be modified, for example, by adding, removing, reordering, combining, or performing stages in parallel, and/or dividing a single stage into multiple stages.

At stage 1602, the method includes receiving array gain information associated with the mobile device, including beam pattern information based at least in part on subbands and mobile device conditions. The LMF 120 is a means for receiving the array gain information. The array gain information may include gain and direction information for at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe for each of a plurality of reference signals. In one example, the UE 200 may be configured to provide the array gain information to the LMF 120 as data structure 1200 or another data structure. The array gain information includes beam pattern information, including relative beam angles for the UE, based on the subbands and UE conditions. The UE 200 may provide the array gain information to the serving TRP 300, and the TRP 300 may provide the array gain information to the LMF 120. For example, the UE 200 may utilize LPP/NPP, RRC, or other messaging protocols to provide frequency- and condition-based beam pattern information.

At stage 1604, the method includes determining one or more uplink reference signals to be transmitted by the mobile device based at least in part on the array gain information and the locations of nearby base stations. The LMF 120 is a means for determining the one or more uplink reference signals. In one example, a serving cell, such as the TRP 300, for the UE 200 may be in communication with the UE 200 in a UE-generated transmit and receive beam (i.e., one of the beams in the data structure 1200 based on frequency and UE state). This serving beam may be used by the LMF 120 to determine other relative beams that the UE 200 may use to communicate with other nearby base stations. The LMF 120 is configured to select a beam for the SRS based on the relative orientation of other stations to the UE 200 and a frequency- and UE-state-based beam pattern for the UE 200. The LMF 120 may provide a positioning activation request 1356 to the serving cell indicating the beam the UE 200 will utilize to transmit the UL-SRS. The serving cell provides the UE 200 with a UL-SRS activation message 1358 indicating the SRS beam to transmit from.

The techniques provided herein are not limited to positioning reference signals. Other reference signals, such as a tracking reference signal (TRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or a sounding reference signal (SRS), may be associated with one or more subbands, and the TRP 300, server 400, and/or UE 200 may be configured to apply frequency- and UE-state-dependent beam patterns as described herein.

Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the accompanying claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. The features that implement the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented in various physical locations.

As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, "a processor" may include one processor or multiple processors. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and/or "comprising" specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Also, as used herein, "or" used in a list of items terminated by "at least one of" or "one or more of" indicates a disjunctive list, such as a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" or a list of "one or more of A, B, or C" meaning A, or B, or C, or AB, or AC, or BC, or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination involving two or more features (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).

Substantial modifications may be made according to specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and/or particular elements may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connection to other computing devices, such as network input/output devices, may be employed.

The systems and devices described above are examples. Various configurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components, as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to some configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be similarly combined. Also, technology evolves, and thus many of the elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.

A wireless communication system is one in which communications are conveyed wirelessly, i.e., by electromagnetic and/or acoustic waves propagating through atmospheric space rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not have all communications transmitted wirelessly, but is configured to have at least some communications transmitted wirelessly. Furthermore, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device be exclusively, or even primarily, for communication, or that the device be a mobile device, but indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (unidirectional or bidirectional), e.g., at least one radio for wireless communication (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver).

Specific details are provided in this description to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including implementation forms). However, the configurations may be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques are shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the configurations. This description provides example configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Rather, the foregoing description of the configurations provides a description for implementing the described techniques. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the terms "processor-readable medium," "machine-readable medium," and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. When using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may be involved in providing instructions/code to the processor for execution and/or may be used to store and/or carry such instructions/code (e.g., signals). In many implementations, processor-readable media is a physical and/or tangible storage medium. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical and/or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

A statement that a value exceeds (i.e., is greater than or exceeds) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is a value greater than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than (i.e., is within or below) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly less than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is a value less than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system.

100 Communication system, system
105 User Equipment (UE), UE
110 5G-NR Node B (gNB), gNB
110a gNB, gNB (g Node B), BS
110b gNB, gNB (g Node B), BS
114 Next Generation eNodeB (ng-eNB), ng-eNB, BS
115 Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), AMF
117 Session Management Facility (SMF), SMF
120 Location Management Function (LMF), LMF
125 Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), GMLC
130 external clients
135 Radio Access Network (RAN), NG-RAN, Network
140 5G Core Network (5GC), 5GC
185 Constellation
190, 191, 192, 193 Satellite Vehicle (SV), SV
200 User Equipment (UE), UE
210 processor
211 memory
212 Software (SW), Software
213 Sensors
214 Transceiver Interface
215 Transceiver
216 User Interface
217 Satellite Positioning System (SPS) receiver, SPS receiver
218 Camera
219 Position (Motion) Devices
220 Bus
230 General Purpose/Application Processors, Processors
231 Digital Signal Processor (DSP), DSP
232 modem processor
233 Video Processor
234 Sensor Processor
240 Wireless transceiver, transceiver
242 Transmitter
244 receiver
246 Antenna
248 Wireless Signal, Signal
250 Wired Transceiver, Transceiver
252 Transmitter
254 receiver
260 SPS signal, wireless signal
262 SPS antenna, antenna
270 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), IMU
271 Magnetometer
272 Environmental Sensors
273 Accelerometer
274 Gyroscope
300 TRP
310 processor
311 memory
312 Software (SW), Software
315 Transceiver
317 SPS receiver
320 Bus
340 Wireless Transceiver
342 Transmitter
344 Receiver
346 Antenna
348 Wireless Signal
350 Wired Transceiver
352 Transmitter
354 Receiver
360 SPS signal
362 SPS Antenna
400 servers
410 processor
411 memory
412 Software (SW), Software
415 Transceiver
420 Bus
440 Wireless Transceiver
442 Transmitter
444 receiver
446 Antenna
448 Wireless Signal
450 Wired Transceiver
452 Transmitter
454 receiver
502 First PRS Resource Set
504 Second PRS Resource Set
700 Positioning Frequency Layer
800 Bandwidth Portion
802 First Resource BW
804 Second Resource BW
806 Third Resource BW
808 Fourth Resource BW
900 User Equipment
902 frames
904a-c Antenna Modules
904a First antenna module
904b Second antenna module
904c Third Antenna Module
904a-1 First beam
904a-2 Second beam
904a-3 Third beam
904b-1 First beam
904b-2 Second beam
904b-3 Third beam
904c-1 First beam
904c-2 Second beam
904c-3 Third beam
952 base station
954 First Beam
954a Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Route
958 Second Beam
960 Reflective object
1002 Array Gain Axis
1004 Spatial Angle Axis
1006, 1008, 1010, 1012, 1014, 1016 Peak angle
1102 Card Reader
1104 Cradle
1200 Data Structures
1202 UE Objects
1302 Beam Weight Information Message
1304 UE beam weight information message
1306 Reference signal, DL-PRS
1310 Measurement value provision message
1316 Location Report Message
1356 Positioning Activation Request Message
1358 UL-SRS Activation Message
1360 UL-SRS
1364 Measurement Response Message

Claims (15)

1. A method for determining the location of a mobile device having multiple antenna modules , comprising:
transmitting, by the mobile device, array gain information to a network entity, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on subbands and conditions of the mobile device;
receiving, at the mobile device, one or more reference signals in one or more subbands, a receive beam for each of the one or more reference signals based at least in part on the subbands in which the one or more reference signals are received and a current state of the mobile device;
determining a measurement based on the one or more reference signals;
and determining the location of the mobile device based at least in part on the measurements, wherein the state of the mobile device is based at least in part on a proximity of a user to the mobile device and/or peripheral devices operably coupled to the mobile device. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the mobile device includes using the mobile device to provide the measurements based on the one or more reference signals to the network entity, the measurements including receive beam identification information associated with each respective receive beam used to receive the one or more reference signals. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is at least one of headphones, a power cord, a card reader, or a mobile device cover. The method of claim 1, wherein the subbands are based on an active bandwidth portion, or resource bandwidth, utilized by the mobile device. The method of claim 1 , wherein the array gain information comprises beam pattern information based on multiple antenna elements from the multiple antenna modules. The method of claim 1, wherein the beam pattern information includes gain and direction information of at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurements include one or more of angle of arrival (AoA), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), and reference signal received quality (RSRQ). 1. An apparatus comprising:
Memory and
at least one transceiver having a plurality of antenna modules ;
and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor:
transmitting array gain information to a network entity using the at least one transceiver, the array gain information including beam pattern information based at least in part on subbands and a state of the device;
receiving, with the at least one transceiver, one or more reference signals in one or more sub-bands, a receive beam for each of the one or more reference signals based at least in part on the sub-bands in which the one or more reference signals are received and a current state of the device;
determining a measurement based on the one or more reference signals;
and determining a location based at least in part on the measurements, wherein the state of the device is based at least in part on a proximity of a user to the device and/or peripheral devices operably coupled to the device. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the measurement values based on the one or more reference signals to the network entity, the measurement values including receive beam identification information associated with each respective receive beam used to receive the one or more reference signals. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the peripheral device is at least one of headphones, a power cord, a card reader, or a mobile device cover. The device of claim 8, wherein the subbands are based on an active bandwidth portion or resource bandwidth utilized by the device. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the array gain information comprises beam pattern information based on multiple antenna elements from the multiple antenna modules. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the beam pattern information includes gain and direction information of at least one of a main lobe, a side lobe, a beam null, and a grating lobe. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the measurements may include one or more of angle of arrival (AoA), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), and reference signal received quality (RSRQ). A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.